Etruscan painted tomb

Destination: Etruscan Italy

Book: Etruscan Places: Travels Through Forgotten Italy by D. H. Lawrence (First published in 1932, NEW edition 2011)

D. H. Lawrence accompanied me into the hospital maternity ward. Well, not the man himself–that would be a little weird–but almost as strange, my husband read to me from Lady Chatterley’s Lover as I waited for waves of contractions to sweep through my body.

The association of Lawrence, the novelist of the erotic, with labor pains, did not deter me from devouring his novels and a biography in one book-filled year.  Thanks to Tauris Parke Books and Palgrave MacMillan, Lawrence’s non-fiction travelogues are being rescued from oblivion. I rediscovered the joy of D. H. Lawrence as a travel writer  in  Etruscans Places.

At times Etruscan Places  reads like a not-quite-final work and indeed the new foreword  by Michael Squires (author of nine books about Lawrence) tells us that Lawrence intended this to be a longer work.  The six essays themselves seem rather raw, as though the author had not finished arranging paragraphs and sentences in logical sequence. And I will admit to skipping lightly over pages of dense philosophizing, and concentrating on his sharp, clear portraits of what he saw and experienced.

Etruscan burial urn in Volterra, Italy

The power of Lawrence lies in those superbly descriptive sentences.  Unhampered by the need to appear scholarly (although he clearly has read widely on the subject) he lets his imagination loose to wander among the Etruscans and interpret their lives. He warns against being influenced by scholarly interpretations– “thinking how things ought to be, when already they are quite perfectly what they are.”

Written about a trip taken in 1927 , the essays reflects the still oozing wounds of World War I and Lawrence’s hatred of facism and war. He had me laughing out loud with his sarcasm.

Besides, the Etruscans were vicious. We know it, because their enemies and exterminators said so. Just as we knew the unspeakable depths of our enemies in the late war….However, those pure, clean-living, sweet-souled Romans, who smshed nation after nation and crushed the free soul in people after people, and were ruled by Messalina and Heliogabalus and such-like snowdrops, they said the Etruscans were vicious…And those naughty neighbors of the Romans as least escaped being Puritans.

No wonder he loved the joyous, free spirited phalic-inspired Etruscans.

Etruscan phallic objects

By the doorway of some tombs there is a carved stone house, or a stone imitation chest with sloping lids like the two sides of the roof of an oblong house.  The guide-boy…mutters that every woman’s tomb had one of these stone houses or chess over it…and every man’s tomb had one of the phallic stones, or lingams.

Lawrence spent his life fighting against restrictions on his free-thinking books that celebrate not just the joy of sex, but the centrality of sex to humankind.  (After several decades of  steamy soap opera and bawdy reality shows on TV and R- rated movies, someone coming to his books in the 21st century is going to wonder what all the fuss was about 80 years ago when he was taken to court for writing obscene literature.)

D. H. Lawrence never shies away from giving his opinion. For instance, he describes the Palazzo Vitelleschi, the museum in Tarquinia as “exceedingly interesting and delightful…” He goes on to say:

If only we would realize it, and not tear things from their settings.  Museums anyhow are wrong.  But if one must have museums, let them be small, and above all, let them be local.  Splendid as the Etruscan museum is in Florence, how much happier one is in the museum at Tarquinia, where all the things are Tarquinian, and at least have some association with one another, and form some sort of organic whole. [Emphasis by Lawrence]

Lovers, Etruscan style

Later in the book, he describes in detail a family tomb recreated in Florence’s Archaeology Museum.

But one is filled with doubt and misgiving. Why, oh why, wasn’t the tomb left intact as it was found, where it was found?  The garden of the Florence museum is vastly instructive, if you want object-lessons about the Etruscans.  But who wants object-lessons about vanished races? What one wants is a contact.  The Etruscans are not a theory or a thesis. If they are anything, they are an experience.

RIGHT ON, Mr. Lawrence!  We travel to experience other cultures, past and present–not to dissect and analyze.

In 1927 he traveled to Cerveteri (northwest of Rome), Tarquinia (90 minutes by train from Rome), Vulci and Volterra in Tucscany (Also popular with fans of Twilight and Vampires). Unesco considers the significance of  Cerveteri and Tarquinia as World Heritage Sites here.

In looking for these links, I discovered two things. There’s not a lot of travel information on the Internet about these Etruscan sites, and that’s a GOOD thing for travelers like me who like the less discovered places. And second, there’s a LOT more to see in all of these places than there was in Lawrence’s day, not to mention improved transportation and lodgings. His vivid descriptions of the Etruscan tombs in Etruscan Places has me planning a return trip to Italy to some lesser known sites and museums, and when you add this book to your traveler’s library, I believe it may have the same effect on you.

Incidentally,  I read a quote from a travel writer calling Lady Chatterley’s Lover the best guide ever written to England’s Midlands, so maybe Lawrence was really meant to be a travel writer and only accidentally became a novelist. I’ve lost the reference, and if you know who said that, please end my sleepless nights by letting me know.

Lawrence also lived in New Mexico and wrote about the country of Mexico in Mornings In Mexico, another Tauris Parke re-issue.

The book title is linked to Amazon for your convenience. If you click through to Amazon and purchase anything at all, I get a few cents which helps support A Traveler’s Library. Thanks.

I am overwhelmed with gratitude to the several photographers whose pictures of Etruscan art I have used here (from Flickr with Creative Commons License. Please click on the images to learn more about the photographers.

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Destination: Africa, the Serengeti

Book: Wildlife Photography: On Safari with Your DSLR by Uwe Skrzypczak

WIN THIS BOOK (See below)

Available in print  from your bookseller or in digital form through I-Tunes.

In this book, although the title is Wildlife Photography and it focuses on the Serengeti of Africa, the author means to help anyone who wants to become a professional level photographer.  Uwe Skrzypczak, (pronounced ScripCheck), discusses Equipment, Techniques and Workflow for shooting with a DSLR camera (Digital Single Lens Reflex–he uses Nikons). He also gives pointers that will help you plan your African trip. And of course, he  illustrates the whole with his amazing images of lions whose faces are dripping blood from a recent kill, a mob of gnus rushing to cross a river, the blur of a cheetah running full speed.

He says he chose to concentrate on the Serengeti because it has the greatest diversity of wildlife in the world, and it obviously is an area that he knows well. That is important because his main commandment is “Know your subject.”  Just as someone photographing a sports scene needs to have an idea where the players and the ball are going next, wildlife photographers need to anticipate the actions of the animals they are portraying.

I will freely admit that much of this book was over my head. WAY over my head. But I decided to present it to you because I know that many travelers yearn to improve their photography, and many travel bloggers aim to become at least semi-professional in their approach. And besides that, it sheds light on Africa, a current area of concentration at A Traveler’s Library.

I skimmed descriptions of camera equipment , but if you are a camera nerd, you know you’ll never get the best shot possible if you do not have the right equipment. His advice on storing images and managing them on the road is something that I can use. Similarly, camera settings involve more math than I am capable of concentrating on, but I know that it is important.

In chapter three, Uwe gets to a field that applies to anyone with any kind of camera–composition. He says:

Wildlife photography is an intuitive sub genre within the field of photography. You need to develop your instinct not only for the technical side of your work, but also with respect to the animals you are photographing.

A helpful hint he gives is to photograph animals at eye level whenever possible–that is, so their eyes are approximately mid level in the shot.  If you shoot from the open top of a jeep–common for people on safaris–he suggests waiting until the animal raises its head.

Among the travel guide type of suggestions he gives is a helpful table of the right time to be in the right place at Serengeti National Park to take advantage of mass movements of animals.  We also get helpful descriptions of the main areas and practical tips. An example: the Ngorongro Crater, which is part of the park, but more restricted, can cost up to $1060 for the six hours limited time in the area. You can stay on a lodge on the rim if you can afford more than one day of jaunts into the Crater.

Wildebeest migration crossing the Mara river

Uwe also discusses the main Serengeti National Park and the Masai Mara, a river system.

Hippopotamus

I learned many things about African wildlife, and the Serengeti..not just photography. For instance, hippos are actually the most dangerous animals to man. Also, Uwe points out how hard it is to photograph leopards and says,

Don’t be deceived by the many “action” photos shot in front of dusty or stony backgrounds that you can find on the Internet. These photos are mostly of tame leopards taken on farms in Namibia or South Africa.

The book closes with a narrative about his trip in 2007 when he needed to get a very particular shot of a male lion to use as the cover of a children’s book. I found the behind-the-scenes look at his work very interesting.

In addition to the blog linked to his name in the first paragraph, he has a website in German, Serengeti Wildlife. At either place you can see examples of his exciting photography.  He suggests many links to keep informed about African wildlife and parks. Here are those I think would be of most interest for travelers.

The Serengeti National Park

Tanzania National Parks

Kenya Wildlife Service

Have you ever been on a wildlife photo safari? Are you a wanna be professional photographer? I will give this book away to someone who leaves a comment in the next week. (Ending July 18) [Only residents of the United States and people over 18 are eligible.] 

NOTE: The photographs shown here are NOT by Uwe Skrzypczak, but are taken from Flickr with Creative Common license to illustrate the places discussed.  The publisher supplied the book  for the purpose of a review. The book title is linked to Amazon for your convenience. If you click through to Amazon and purchase anything at all, I get a few cents which helps support A Traveler’s Library. Thanks.

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Destination: Iran

Book: Saved by Beauty: Adventures of an American  Romantic in Iran (NEW May 2011) by Roger Housden

Roger Housden‘s Saved by Beauty combines an enticing travel guidebook with a philosophical memoir as he travels in Iran, seeking the beautiful culture he first fell in love with (at a distance) as a student.

If I am right, and poetry provides the key to Westerners understanding The Middle East, particularly Iran, then Roger Housden will be the perfect person to unlock that meaning.

Before visiting Iran, he wrote several books about poetry, including one about Rumi, a revered Iranian poets of the 13th century. So in 2007, about to turn 60, he sets off with Rumi in his pocket to find what he calls the other Iran.  What he finds confounds some of his prior assumptions about a deeply complex society.

The book has a chilling prologue in which police interrogate Housden about his real reasons for being in Iran. This scene sharply contrasts with the world he plunges into when he arrives in Iran.

This is a pilgrimage to ancient poets and contemporary artists–to the intellectual, expressive part of a culture that in America generally conjures up only forbidding images of the Ayatollah and “Kill all Americans” slogans.

As he visits the ornate grave of Omar Khayyam, best known in the west for The Rubaiyat (verses) of Omar Khayyam, his guide points out, “We have no memorials to soldiers or generals…We have our poets and saints, and each of them has his story.”

We learn that Omar was much more than a poet. He was a philosopher, a scientist, a mathematician and an inventor.  Housden muses,

“…I asked myself why a one-thousand-year-old Omar should matter to us in the first decade or so of the twenty-first century.  Even if he was the Einstein of his time, there have been hundreds more bright stars since then. But it was not the sum of his particular achievements, impressive as they were, that moved me… His poetry and his science contribute to something greater still…”

Housden continues:

“The human spirit runs like a current down the line of the generations, binding us all in a rolling wave of continuous story.  In Iran, this sense of shared history is in the air, and people breathe it in as their daily bread.  It nourishes them in a way that we, in our transient and disposable culture, can barely begin to imagine.”

Housden’s biggest self-realization comes when he, who thinks of himself as apolitical–simply a seeker of understanding–realizes that there is no such thing as apolitical. “Art itself was a political act. The book I was writing, whether I saw it that way or not, was necessarily a political act.”

Despite the difficulties of travel to this country and a frightening episode referred to in the prologue, after reading Housden’s irresistible descriptions of Iran you may decide to travel to this amazing land.

Isfahan blue dome

Unlike many foreigners who never get outside of Tehran, he introduces Isfahan, a city of great beauty, with the blue domed mosque that called him to Iran to start out with– just one of many in the city. He goes to Shiraz, the city of roses and wine and the tomb of the poet Hafez. He visits the ruins of once great Persian cities, Pasargadae and Persepolis. He talks to people about Zoroastrianism, the religion founded by Zarathustra and Sufism,  Rumi’s religion, known in the west for mystical Dervishes.
The variety of religion and cultures and depth of history  is overwhelming and alluring. I could not help thinking throughout, however, that I was glad to read about some of his experiences that simply would not be possible for a woman–particularly a foreign woman.

I will leave it to you to discover how that interrogation turns out, because I would like to lure you into adding this lovely book to your traveler’s library.  Meanwhile, I’m off to gather some poetry by Hafez and Rumi to continue my Iranian journey.

You can see Roger Housden talking about his book in this book trailer at YouTube.

Disclaimer: Broadway Books/Random House provided me with an uncorrected review copy of this book. Photo of book cover is from publisher’s page. All others are from Flickr and you can find out more about the photographer by clicking on the picture.

NEW: The New York Times reviews Saved by Beauty in their summer reads, travel section. (and two other books that have been reviewed here.)

If you had an opportunity to travel to Iran, would you? If yes–what would you want to see? If not, what would stop you?

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If you are interested in Egypt, one of the world’s current trouble spots, but also a perennial tourism favorite, take a look at my review of the  Cadogan Guide to Egypt. (Turning back the clock, I’m focusing on Alexander in Egypt). Brand new post that just went up today!

While you are there, poke around a bit and see all the wonderful things that Indie Travel Podcast has to offer. Craig and Linda, intrepid New Zealanders perpetually on the road, give you the practical scoop on travel via podcasts and their wide-ranging website. Their latest is their longest yet–45 minute podcast on backpacking in Europe.

Can’t believe the great things I find on Flickr–focusing on Alexander, indeed! Click on the picture to learn more.

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Destination: Mexico City

Book: Mexico City, Out and About (2010) by Kenneth and Karen Basile.

When you pick up Mexico City, Out and About, you will not mistake it for a normal guidebook. No way you would lug this 3-lb book around in your backpack. But if you are planning a trip to Mexico City, the colorful pages will guide you to many places–both major tourist destinations and off-the-beaten-track corners of the huge city.

I have not been to Mexico City, but I did have ideas of what it is like–mostly negative, I will admit. These pages crammed with photographs and laced with informative narrative definitely created a new mental picture for me.

Colonial Neighborhood, Coyoacán

The American authors, Kenneth and Karen Basile, love the city and in their book they show off the best it has to offer in art, architecture, parks and gardens.  He is a photographer who has worked most of his life with art and museums. She is a retired English teacher who has turned to Latin American studies.

The authors start their book with remnants of the past–archaeological digs throughout this city that is built on layers of history going back 4000 years.  They go on to visit important plazas, roads and neighborhoods and ends on the outskirts with the startling information that there are at least fourteen active volcanoes within the city limits.

Besame Mucho, 2-14-09, setting Guiness World Record for most people kissing at one time

No wonder they say that anything is possible in Mexico City–that nothing surprises the residents.  Although this is not strictly speaking a guidebook, if you want to plan visits to places shown in exquisite photographs, the authors have helpfully provided the nearest metro stop and some instructions for getting to each place.

But mostly this is a book of beautiful photographs that will make you want to go to Mexico muy pronto.

If you are worried about the safety of travel in Mexico, I recommend this article at Your Life is a Trip–and be sure to read the comments that go with it for a well-rounded view.

Note: Schiffer Books sent me Mexico City for review.  They are the publishers of Quincy Tahoma: The Life and Legacy of a Navajo Artist, which I co-authored with Charnell Havens. All Photos are copyright by Kenneth Basile and published with his permission.

And how about you? Have you been to Mexico City?  What were your impressions?

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Paris from the Heart Unboxed

NOTICE: I will give this collection (which is priced at $45.00) to one reader chosen at random from those who comment on this post. American Resident, Over 18. (By  Friday April

Destination: Paris, France

Book: Paris from the Heart: Ultimate Walking Tours to Fun, Fashion and Freedom (November 2010) by Jan Dolphin

This beautiful little collection of travel guidebooks to Paris, Paris From the Heart, has been sitting on my shelf since last fall, when the author, Jan Dolphin, sent it to me. I looked at it from time to time, but didn’t know if I really would write about it, since I don’t generally do guidebooks at A Traveler’s Library.  However, I decided to do yet another France on Friday today and tell you about a very different kind of guide to Paris.

The first way in which this guide is different, is that it has one general and five location-specific, separate, thin, paperback books. I love looking at the package. The author, an interior designer, has assembled this package with true artistic flair. All six books enclosed in a cardboard jacket, sport antique posters, gorgeous photography, and charming hand-drawn maps.

Luxumbourg Garden The Thinkers

When I was looking at guidebooks for my trip to Paris, I bemoaned the fact that they generally are too large to lug around, pull out when you stop for a croissant aux chocolate. (Diversion: I recently learned from Alexandra, hostess at Chez Sven, the green B & B in Cape Cod, that chocolate crosssants originated with a traditional after school snack of a bar of chocolate between two slices of white bread. fin de diversion)

Since I would only be covering a small area of Paris, I only needed in-depth guides to one arrondissement (neighborhood) at a time, so I thought perhaps the Paris from the Heart collection would have served my purpose.
In addition to an Introduction booklet with essentials like packing tips and a little vocabulary, the Paris from the Heart collection covers walking tours of the Left Bank, the Right Bank, a walk along the Seine, Montmarte, and Day Trips–the essentials for a first time trip to Paris, so in theory, you could carry  just the booklets you need for the day.
In reality, while this quirky guide might make an interesting travel companion, it will not substitute for a more detailed guide and accurate maps. Dolphin starts by telling us how she first became enamored with Paris.

The sapphire blue bottle

Evening in Paris perfume newspaper advertisement

Dolphin’s Proustian memory experience begins not with a pastry, but with the aroma of Evening of Paris perfume in its exotic sapphire-blue bottle. (Diversion: As a child, I wanted to buy one of those beautiful blue bottles as a present for my mother every Christmas. And I yearned to be all grown up and glamorous enough to wear a perfume with such a sophisticated ambiance. Although the blue of that bottle has always been my favorite color, I later realized that truly exotic perfumes are not generally available at the drugstore in downtown Killbuck, Ohio. fin de diversion) This initial trip down memory lane, sets the stage for the author’s presentation of her Paris.

The beauty and charm of such an intensely personal guide falls down if you want or need information about something the author has not chosen as HER personal favorite. She loves art, shopping, antique buildings. Her enthusiasm is underscored by liberal use of superlatives and exclamation marks. But she also invites you to create your own journal as you go. Each book leaves many lined blank pages  where you can personalize the book.

I think it would be interesting for a first-time visitor to follow one or more of these suggested routes through Paris, and make liberal notes about the things she saw and experienced. A book gains value when someone writes in it, and what a lovely gift that would be from mother to daughter or granddaughter.

Cobblestone street in Latin Quarter

Anyone who yearns for a romantic Paris will enjoy looking at these beautiful little books. However, if you have your own ideas about what you want to see, or if you like to wander undirected and make your own discoveries, you definitely will need a supplemental guidebook for your travel library.

Photos: Most of the pictures here are from my own trip to Paris, and if you would like to reproduce them, please ask me about rights. The two Evening in Paris pictures are linked to the web pages from which they came.

How do you use a guidebook? Do you want one that gives you a specific route, or one that describes many places so that you can map out your own walk? Personalized guide or more matter of fact? (Some people had already commented before I added the offer to giveaway my collection–they are eligible. See Notice at top of post.)

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Destination: The Alps–Italy, France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, Germany, Lichtenstein,  Monaco

Book: Over the Top & Back Again, Hiking X the Alps,  by Brandon Wilson, illustrated by Ken Plumb, NEW 2011

Once  an experienced travel writer whom I admire explained to his class how to write a good travel story.

“Put yourself at risk,” he said. The closer the writer comes to total disaster, the theory goes, the more interesting the story will be.

Partly true, but I would rather read a story that makes me want to go and do likewise than to come away from a story thinking, “Why in the world would I do that?”

In Over the Top and Back Again, the author and his wife set off to follow the Via Alpina, connected trails that cross eight countries, traipsing 3100 miles along the ridge of the Alps.     Brandon Wilson explains that there are five variations on the route, including some trails that go through valleys, and some that demand mountain climbing skills. While everyone they meet is traversing small portions of the paths, they are determined to go the whole route.

Nothing, of course, goes quite the way it is planned, and Wilson and his wife Cheryl liken their approach to jazz–skipping from one trail to another, depending on weather, injuries, etc. Despite the relaxed attitude of the locals–a Swiss friend tells them it is okay to take the mountain trams up the side of the mountain, for instance–the Wilsons seem intent on doing everything the hard way. The locals, you see, believe that a trek in the mountains is meant to be fun. The Americans seem convinced that it must be an ordeal.

They set out without any mountain climbing equipment. They sustain injuries and refuse to get them treated. They plod doggedly through rain and snow squalls, rarely taking a day to rest.

Photo by "angelocesare" from Flickr

Now, look…Badertscher is a Swiss name, so of course we have gone to my husband’s homeland, Switzerland. We did only short hikes, a lot of cog railroads, regular railroads, boats, buses and car travel through meadows and mountains, lakes and rivers. And it is so gorgeous that my son, a teenager at the time, said, “This whole country is like a picture postcard.” And that is true of the entire Alpine region. But you would barely know that from Over the Top and Back Again.

It seems we only hear about the scenery that the couple cannot see because it is raining–again. And on a rare sunny day, we get maybe a sentence about the meadow and then it is back to the mind-numbing recital of place names–small villages that usually aren’t even on the maps provided in the book.

In general, if someone out there has her heart set on trekking the Trans-Alpina, this book can serve as a step by step guide to hiker’s huts, trails to take and trails to avoid. But I cringe to think that someone might model himself after the needlessly difficult and sometimes dangerous approach demonstrated here.

Step-by-step guides sacrifice the overall feel of a place that the armchair reader may be looking for. In fact, I was trying to stay focused as day followed similarly dismal day, and when I got to the photos tipped into the middle of the book, I suddenly realized what I had been missing. The trek was NOT all gruesome. The beauty of the area was there in the photographs. Too bad it wasn’t reflected more in the narrative.

On the next to last page of the book, Wilson relents and tells us the good stuff:

“We were content. We’d discovered the Alps, one-step-at-a-time. It’s a land of much more than mountains, cheese and gnomes. It’s a revival of the senses.  It’s the crisp freshness of the air, the scent of pine, the riotous splash of wildflowers, and the taste of sweet milk straight from the cow…It’s the chance to free yourself and seize the most from life, day after challenging day.”

Really? After reading the preceding 217 pages, I thought it was only blisters, sprains, hunger, cold, damp, ill-marked trails, slipping on dangerous trails and trying to sleep in noisy hiker’s huts.

Wilson won a Lowell Thomas Award in 2009 for his first travel book, Along the Templar Trail. That award, in case you are not familiar with it, is a BIG DEAL. Of that adventure, he says, “Originally walked by those Crusaders who became the first Knights Templar, we re-blazed what I called the Templar Trail, narrowly dodging missiles and jihadist fervor. We survived, but just barely.”

Perhaps it was his success with that book that persuaded him that he needed to make the Alpine trek sound as dangerous and uncomfortable as possible, instead of sharing the joy.

The author provided his book for review. The pictures above are from Flickr, with Creative Commons license. Please click on the pictures to learn more about the photoraphers.

If you are planning a trek–Alpine or otherwise, and would like a copy of Over The Top, leave a comment on this post before 6:00 a.m. MST Wednesday Jan. 19, to be entered in the drawing. I’m throwing in a second book for this drawing–another one for backpackers, this time in Thailand, the very good 2010 novel, Currency by Zoe Zolbrod. And remember, ALL comments until the end of January count toward a chance on a two night stay at a Cambria Suites of your choice. Complete rules here.

What Cambria Suites hotel would you like to stay at (look at their pull down menu under cities on the home page). OR: Are you a backpacker? What’s the longest trek you have attempted?

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AND, this is embarrassing, but the most perfect gift for travelers who read somehow got left off the list. So here it is:

Book Lust to Go: Recommended Reading for Travelers, Vagabonds, and Dreamers
by Nancy Pearl

In case you are not one of those glued to NPR when Nancy Pearl talks about books…in case you don’t yet own your own Nancy Pearl action figure…read my review of Book Lust To Go. And then put it on the gift list for every traveler who reads.

A Moveable Feast

1. A MOVEABLE FEAST:Life-Changing Food Adventures Around the World, edited by Don George, published by Lonely Planet (2010)

SPECIAL DEAL:  Readers of A Traveler’s Library: Enter the code TRAVLIB  in the on-line order form, Lonely Planet will give a 20% discount on any book. Through 1/15/11.

Lonely Planet publishes lots more than guidebooks.  I make a bee-line for the  travel literature section of Lonely Planet pictorials and gifts. That’s where you’ll find Moveable Feast, jam-packed ( pun intended) with beautifully written food/travel essays from top travel writers like Jan Morris, Simon Winchester or Anthony Bourdain. What could be better for the travel reader in your life? (And no, I have no idea why they are using Ernest Hemingway’s title.) $14.99 before your A Traveler’s Library discount.

Atlantic Luggage from CSN

2. ATLANTIC  LUGGAGE

Until I discovered CSN, I didn’t realize I could shop in a virtual department store. You can furnish your home, clothe your kids and pick up your travel needs at CSN, which includes 200 stores. At the luggage store , I selected this Atlantic 22″ roll-aboard Ultra Light suitcase. The purchase process was painless, and carrying the 6-pound-suitcase is painless, too. Because it is an economy version of TravelPro, I knew the quality would be good. I particularly like the big pockets on the outside. Somebody you know needs this. $73.99 at CSN.

Scottish Travel Wrap

3. SCOTTISH CASHMERE TRAVEL WRAP

From The Travel Wrap Company

I can SO see myself curled up with a travel literature book, wrapped in my wrap, aptly named “Plain Gorgeous.” This gift, I will admit is a big splurge. But there are times when we just want to splurge on a gift for somebody your traveling mom or  girlfriend. It subs for that missing airline pillow and blanket, and so does much more.

Price: £194 adult/£140 children. In the U.S., subtract £17.50 per item VAT.  I figured a woman’s wrap, with shipping, would cost about $292.00 for U.S. buyers.  To see the price on an item, you have to click on the specific item/color you are interested in.

4. MUSEYON GUIDES provides guidebooks for travelers for the literate. Or as they say, “A curated guide to your obsessions.”  That means music, cities, movies, art, for instance. Follow their link for a classy blog about cultural travel.

SPECIAL DEAL: For  A Traveler’s Library readers only: A SECRET STORE.  When you follow the link to the secret store at Museyon Guides, you will get a 20% discount on EVERY book they sell. And get this–even if it has already been discounted, you’ll get another 20% off!!

I took Museyon’s Film + Travel guides for a test drive.  The books come in  travel-handy, 5 x 8 soft cover editions–one each for ; North and South America; Europe; and one for  (big breath) Asia, Oceania and Africa.  The guides are written by experts or as one editor says “by pedants for dilettantes.” (LOVE IT!) My only complaint is that they don’t cover a lot of territory. One hopes that there will be future editions.  But if tracking down movie scenes (a la Movie Walks in Paris) is not your thing, Museyon guides offers other books. The Movie +Travel Guides are currently on sale at Museyon for $11.95 (BEFORE your 20% discount).

Jotter SS Satin Black BallPoint Pen

5. JOTTER “MAD MEN” PEN

The man in your life can create million dollar advertising campaigns, write heartbreaking brush-off letters, and make a list of the liquor  needed for the office bar, with the OFFICIAL Mad Men Pen, The Jotter SS Ball Point. Mad Men, the T.V. show, deftly recreates the early 1960′s.  The traveler you are shopping for needs a pen to make notes in her or his travel journal, write postcards, and fill in the custom forms.

Great stocking stuffer. I found them on line for as little as $9.99.

6. VINNI BAG

This product is a real find! Although I don’t generally haul wine around in my suitcase, I do have a dog-loving friend who once wrote about wrapping her wine in her bras. I have another friend who has been known to travel with an extra suitcase full of only bubblewrap for safely packing African crafts. I will fill the Vinni Bag with Christmas ornaments the next time I travel, or olive oil from Greece. The video explains everything to you. A Green Note: If you send it back, they will recycle the material into garden hoses! Now can’t you think of several travelers who would love this gift?

$28.00 for one, $25 each for more than one at the Vinni Bag website.

Diaper Buds

7. DIAPER BUDS

Know a mother who is juggling baby and travel? As anybody who has ever carted an infant over the river and through the woods knows, diapers can be a problem. Problem solved with diaper buds. A tiny little package gives you two full sized diapers. Tuck it away and you’re ready to go.

(Unless you follow the diaper-free baby philosophy of a friend of mine, that is.)

They have a special trial deal on their website offering  a trial “bud” for $1.00. Regular prices are $5.99 for a small pack (8 or 9 in pack depending on diaper size) or $17.99 for a large pack of 24 to30.(Diaper sizes 1-5)

Interlink Books

8. INTERLINK PUBLISHING

SPECIAL DEAL: Interlink Publishing is offering a discount coupon code to A Traveler’s Library readers. 20% off any book you order from their web site.

This may be my favorite place for literary travel books. The beautiful books they publish are carefully selected for smart, discerning readers. Their tag line says it all “Changing the Way People Think About the World.”  I have reviewed  Italian Art for Travelers and A Traveler’s History of Italy.  Check Interlink’s Gift Suggestion Page. And go here for CHILDREN’S Books, including young adult that span the world. Prices vary, and you get a discount of 20% just for reading A Traveler’s Library.

Yak Pak Psychedelia

9. YAK PAK

Special Deal for readers of A Traveler’s Library. YakPak has offered to give one of you a student backpacks–and you get to choose a pattern (from those available).*See rules below.

Specially for pre-teens and teens.

Last January, a lucky reader here won a Yak Pak tote bag.  I was so impressed, that when they offered to let me test one of their backpacks, I jumped at the chance.  They chose the pattern (they have just short of a jillion stylish patterns) and I got one called “Black Psychedelia.” It’s a genuine back-to-the-sixties purple and yellow and orange and green and red tie-dye. The teenagers in the family think it is tres cool, and I got comments when I carried it through the airport.

The material of Yak Paks–in small purses up to carry-on suitcases–is the most amazing stuff.  It is so strong that I can’t imagine it ever tearing, and it doesn’t even scuff. This student backpack has a big interior and one small exterior pocket, and it holds a lot of stuff– including my netbook–with ease. But check the variety of choices at their website. This one costs $25 at the YakPak site.

10. WRAPPING – NOT PAPER

Let’s have an eco-friendly Christmas. Can we do without the mounds of throw-away paper and ribbon and all that frou-frou? In the US alone, an additional 5 million (an equivalent to 25% more garbage) tons of waste is generated during the winter holidays.

Bobo Everyday Wrap

No-paper wrapping , the Bobo Wrap. Wrap in a scarf that is a 2nd present. The one shown is $9.95 but they have much more expensive ones, too.

Lyzi Wrap Rip-Stop Nylon

Lyzi Wrap–stretchy fabric, bags made from old plastic banners, all kinds of fun stuff and all containers will be reusable. $6-$9 for Lyzi Wraps.

Disclaimer: Although I selected all of these products BEFORE the companies provided samples, in addition to offering my readers a discount, Publishers Lonely Planet and Museyon gave me review copies of their books. CSN stores gave me a gift certificate to purchase anything I wished in their store. Vinni Bags sent me a sample bag so I could see how it works. YakPak sent me a student backpack to review.

*For the Yak Pak Giveaway

• I’ll pick a comment at random, from those comments that tell me which gift on the list you are most likely to buy.For extra chances, tweet about this post (using @pen4hire in the tweet) or Subscribe by e-mail.
• Starting now.
• Ending December 15. (Must have U.S. mailing address)

Also see

• 2009 Gifts for Travelers
• Passports With Purpose
• Gifts Under $20 (2009)

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Book: Eat Smart in Sicily, (2008) by Joan Peterson and Marcella Croce

A GUEST POST by Dr. Jessie Voigts

People who love to learn will adore this travel guide. Eat Smart in Sicily is filled with history, culture, language, food, markets, recipes (!), photos and more. THIS is one of those books that make you instantly want to delve into more like it – fascinating, and eminently readable. I’ve learned so much about Sicily and its history and various cultural influences, and how they’ve mixed throughout history and can now be seen in the food in Sicily.  This book is written by Joan Peterson, PhD, and co-authored by Marcella Croce, who lives in Palermo. The book chapters include the Cuisine of Sicily, Local Sicilian Food, Tastes of Sicily (recipes), Shopping in Sicily’s Food Markets, Resources, Helpful Phrases, Menu Guide, Foods and Flavors Guide, and Restaurant Recommendations. WOW!
I was lucky enough to sit down and talk with Joan about her book, her travel history, and all about food. Yes, I am now seriously planning a trip to Sicily, just because of this book! Here’s what Joan had to say…

Things To Do

Wandering Educators:  Please tell us about your book, Eat Smart in Sicily: How to Decipher
the Menu, Know the Market Foods, & Embark on a Tasting Adventure.

Joan Peterson: I have answered this in the plural, i.e. about all our guides: The multi-chaptered EAT SMART guides focus on WHAT there is to eat at a foreign destination. They cover all aspects of a nation’s food: the history of its cuisine; the types of regional foods and dishes; traditional recipes, which are contributed by chefs and are included so readers can preview the tastes of the country before departure or enjoy the flavors again upon their return; phrases to use in the market and restaurant; resources to help locate hard-to-find ingredients for the recipes; shopping tips; a market glossary (Foods & Flavors Guide) AND a menu glossary (Menu Guide); as well as a cross-referenced index so searching for terms can be made in English as well.

Note that general guidebooks do provide information on WHERE to eat, offering a handful of restaurant suggestions in each location. I preferred to exclude this content since it was available, but more importantly, I omitted it because the information becomes dated rather quickly: restaurants come and go, and management and chefs undergo turnover. The fare at a once highly recommended restaurant can go downhill and without up-to-date information a traveler can be in for a surprise. And there’s always the consideration that recommendations can be rather subjective. What one reviewer thinks is top notch may be a dismal choice for another diner.

WE: What is your background/interest in Sicily?

JP: I am not Sicilian/Italian.

I was intrigued about Sicily because most people who visit mainland Italy don’t visit the delightful island of Sicily, and there isn’t as much written about the food of this region of Italy. So I decided I’d feature Sicily’s delicious cuisine in my next guidebook and hope to lure more travelers to the island. I’ll be covering the cuisine of Norway next.

To read the rest of the interview, please see Wandering Educators.

Jessie Voigts

Dr. Jessie Voigts is the Publisher of  WanderingEducators.com and contributes each month to A Traveler’s Library. She has a doctorate in International Education, and is passionate about intercultural learning. She and her husband are Worldschooling their daughter, and enjoying every minute of it. She is also a nature photographer and lives on a lake.

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Book Cover

Destination: Istanbul

Book: Strolling Through Istanbul, The Classic Guide to the City by Hilary Sumner-Boyd & John Freely (Originally published 1972;NEW edition, 2010)

I try to imagine strolling the streets of Istanbul, but I am hampered by the perennial action movie shots–camera zooming overhead as swarthy men race through narrow passage ways, overturning carts of chickens who run squawking in all directions and….CUT!

Actually, that was probably Marakesh, not Istanbul, but a bazaar is a bazaar, right? And since I doubt that I am going to get Ken anywhere even close to Istanbul, since the little incident in Jerusalem, I have just done the next best thing and read Strolling Through Istanbul, revised and updated this year, 38 years after it was originally published.

Oh–the incident in Jerusalem?  We were there in 1990 on a carefully chapereoned tour which had excluded the Arab quarter. On our last day, set free, we decided to wander a bit, climbed up to the Dome of the Rock and then entered one of the tightly packed streets of a bazaar.  Ken, as usual, was a bit nervous about me getting into trouble, and of course as soon as I got a few feet away from him,out of sight in the crowded narrow street, khaki- uniformed policemen, armed to the teeth, bustled in and rushed someone off.  Of course Ken was convinced I had been arrested and we would never get home again. I was just looking at jewelry. Not even the Holy Grail.  I swear, he reads too many Ludlum novels. But, he never did like cities, and now he particularly does not like ancient cities with bazaars. So much for strolling Istanbul.

After writing scholarly works, the two British authors they joined forces to share this more accessible version of information with travelers. Sumner-Boyd passed away after the original guide was published and Freely took on the task of revision and updating. He points out in the preface to the new edition that although Istanbul has expanded from two million to twelve million people, the heart of the old city remains largely unchanged, and did not change any of their original itineraries.

Topkapi Palace, Istanbul

I read through much of the book enjoying it like a history of the city that spanned such dramatic twists and turns of fortune.  The authors ingratiate themselves by telling stories as they stroll through the neighborhoods and over the seven hills (yes, just like Rome). I will admit to skipping over much of the architectural detail although if I were on the spot in Hagia Sopia or Topkapi Palace, I probably would pay more attention.

As it was, I skimmed for the fun details, like those marvelous names the Sultans had for everything. “The Halberdiers with Tresses,” were called that because they were guards (carrying halberds) with two long curls (tresses) hanging down in front of their eyes to obstruct their eyes to obstruct their view of the lovelies in the Harem.

Another mark of a good guide, I think,  is fearlessness in giving opinions, and these two felt justified in expressing themselves. My mind formed a sort of “tut-tut” British accent when the authors expressed frequent disapproval  of things like “unfortunate restorations” for instance.

Each section starts with a clear, hand-drawn map, and diagrams for the major buildings help you follow the descriptions. The index divides everything by building type–there’s that architecture thing again–and I would have preferred place and people names, but is already quite a thick book.

Some people will find this book packed with extraneous information, like names of architects, and lacking essential things like prices of hotel rooms, for instance. However, for the traveler who appreciates digging deeply into the culture and history of a place, this will be a valuable addition to the Traveler’s Library–whether she has actual or virtual strolling in mind. Palgrave McMillan and publisher Tauris Parke Paperbacks should be congratulated and supported in their efforts to keep alive great classics of travel literature.

This book was furnished for review by Palgrave McMillan and the picture of tile work from Topakpi palace is used courtesy of Creative Commons license from Flickr. Click on the picture to get more information.

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